Adjustable length fur coat



DeC- 23, l952 L. s'rRAucH ADJUSTABLE LENGTH FUR COAT Filed Dec. 6, 1949 2 SHEETS-SHEET l LEO STRAUCH L. STRAUCH ADJUSTABLE LENGTH FUR COAT Dec. 23, 1952 2 SHEETS- SHEET 2 Filed Dec. 6, 1949 Y INVENTOR LEO STRAUCH Affi/EWE);

Patented Dec. 23, 1952 UNITED STATES 3 Claims.

This invention relates to new and useful' improvements in womens wearing apparel, and, more particularly, the aim is to provide a novel and valuable fur outer garment so constructed that according as one or more readily wholly separable sections are included inthe garment the latter may be worn. as a jacket, an intermediate length coat or a full length coat.

An object of the invention is to provide an arrangement as just described, characterized by the inclusion of warmth-giving and decorative band-like components, one for interposition between and circumferentially of the uppermost garment section and an intermediate garment section, and the other for interposition similarly between the last-named garment section and a lowermost one. According to the invention, said band-like components may be of any suitable material, as of leather or the like, and whether or not such a component, when of leather, is what is known as a hide product, that is, a product made from a hair or fur carrying skin from which the hair or fur has been removed, or is truly a fur or quasi-fur, that is, made from a hair or fur carrying skin from which the hair or fur has not been removed.

A feature of the invention is the manner of construction of the garment sections, and also of said components, whereby their meeting portions must become so disposed While the gar.- ment is being worn, and from the relative weights of the parts incidental to the natural drape of the garment on the wearers body, that extreme cold, even when accompanied by a biting wind, cannot make its way into the interior of the garment at or adjacent to said meeting portions or between the lines of joinder thereof.

Another feature of the invention is that such construction further is of a kind to be readily and easily established and otherwise practicable to be employed by the owner of the garment, and at the same time in such manner that the readily detachable fastening means employed for securely temporarily attaching either of said components intermediate an upper and a lower garment section may be present, for instance, as snap fasteners, yet in a way such that at no time is there projected toward the interior of the garment the post of a post-type snap fastener element.

A further feature of the invention is the provision of a fur coat which, while readily adjustable as to length as above at the will of. the

wise be the total cost'of the coat when 4the same is of a kind that the outer fur-displaying side thereof is built up of rare and highly v,costly furs such as mink, sable, silverfox, chinchilla and the like, and at the same time a fur coat which over every portion thereof is just as 'cold-resisting as though each and every such portion were covered with a piece of costly fur of the class just indicated.

Still another feature of the present invention proposes the provision of several different ways of securing the sections of the garment to the band-like components so that the garment sections can be separated when desired or so that the sections of the garment will all be securely connected together.

Another object of the present invention proposes forming the front ends of the band-like components with extensions arranged to be tied into bows at the front of the garment in a manner to hold the front opening closed.

In the accompanying drawings forming a material part of this disclosure: y,

Fig. 1 is a frontal perspective View, showing a now favored embodiment of the invention, opened up all along its front; the garment being here shown as comprising three main sections, and with these all now combined into one full length coat due to the use of two of the aforesaid band-like components.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the coat of Fig. 1, now shown fully closed at its front as though while being worn.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but showing the garment as transformed into a coat of intermediate length.

Fig. 4 also is a view similar to Fig. 3, but showing the garment as transformed into a jacket.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary enlarged detail section: this view taken on line 5 5 of Fig. l.

Fig. 6 is a View similar to Fig. 5, but illustrating a modification of the present invention.

Fig. '7 is another View similar to Fig. 5 illustrating. another modication of the present invention.

Fig. 8 is still another view similar to Fig. 5 illustrating still another Vmodiiication of the present invention.

Fig. 9 is va View similar to Fig. 1 illustrating still another modiiication of the present invention. f

Fig. 10 is a View similar to Fig. 9, but with the coat in the closed position.

Fig. 11 is an enlarged partial vertical sectional View taken on the line lI--H of Fig. 9.

The garment, according to the first form of the present invention shown in Figs. 1 to 5, includes three garment sections I 0, II and I2, is indicated as being made at these three sections of such a rare and expensive fur, for eX- ample, as chinchilla. Also by way of example merely, the jacket section I is shown as having a semi-military stand-up collar, but, as will be understood, a shawl, boa-type or any other collai` may be provided; and indeed, as will further be understood, the design and cut of the coat or of any of its sections are matters for the taste and judgment of the designer, with any and all such designs and cuts to be taken as Within the present invention.

Any desired means of fastening the front of the garment, to dispose the parts as shown in any of Figs. 2, 3 and 4 may be employed; but,r

as herein shown for example, a number of frogs I3 are provided at one side of the garment and at the other side thereof are provided a like number of suitably spaced loops I4 for receiving such frogs when the garment is closed about the body of the wearer.

The two aforesaid band-like components are respectively designated I5 and I6. The garment section IB is illustrated as having a lining I'I attached to said section by a line of stitching I8.

A lining for the section II is designated 25; and is permanently connected to said section'by a stitching 21 which goes through the lining 25 and also through the hide portion of the fur of the section II.

The band-like components I5 and I5 are alike in construction and the details for the band-like component I5 shown in Fig. 5 apply equally well to the band-like component I6. Referring to that Fig. 5, it will be noted that there is attached to the inner face of the lining I'I of the upper garment section I a strip of material 45 which has its top edges secured to the lining I'I and the garment section ID by a line of stitches 4I. The bottom edges of4 the strip of material 40 are secured in position by the same' lines of stitches I8 which secure the liningV II 'and the garment section II! together. From Fig. it will be noted that the bottom edges of the garment section Ill project slightly below the bottom edges of the lining I'I and the stripof material di). At spaced points along the length thereof, the strip of material 43 is formed with spaced groups of buttonholes 42.

Secured in position within the top portion of the garment section II, there is a strip of material 43, the bottom edge of that strip being secured in position by the same line of stitches 2'I that secures the lining 25 in position. The strip of material is illustrated as being formed of cloth fabric, but could be formed of leather and if so formed could have its outer face decorated by the addition of decorative elements or by being itself decorated as by cameo or intaglio embossings.

Mounted at spaced positions along the outer face of the strip of material 43, adjacent the top edge thereof, there is a plurality of buttons 44 stitched in position in the conventional manner. The arrangement of the buttonholes 42 and the buttons 44 provides a quick and easy method of adjustably connecting the garment sections together. It is desirable that the but tonholes 42 and the buttons 44 be fairly closely spaced to insure good closing of the sections about the garment.

The relationship between the buttons 44 .and

the buttonholes 42 is such that when the buttons de are engaged into the lowermost buttonholes, as shown in Fig. 5, a part of the strip of material 43 will be exposed to view, as shown in Figs. 1 to 3. On the other hand, when the buttons 44 are engaged into the middle or uppermost buttonholes 42 of each group the bottom edges of the garment section I9 will overlap the upper edges of the garment section II in varying degrees.

The garment sections I0, II and I2 are shown as designed to be overlapped at the front of the garment, in the manner, for instance, indicated in broken lines in Figs. 2, 3 and 4. At the same time, the strip of material GU is of a length to permit a corresponding overlapping of the ends thereof, when the garment, established as in either of Figs. 2 and 3, is closed; one of the ends of the strip 40 being extended as shown. This end may carry a post-type snap fastener element as indicated at 45, said element for being engaged with a cooperant Vsnap fastener element at the inside of the strip 40 near its other end.

When the section I2 is detached from the garment, to transformthe latter into a coat4 of intermediate length as shown in Fig. 3, a unitary structure is thus' detached; said structure including the garment Vsection I2 and the strip of material 43 of the band-like component'IB, thereby to leave the bottom vlof the coatof Fig. 3 finished off in 'appearance as though the coat was finely custom' made to'be solely of intermediate length.

Similarly, when the section I I` is detached from the garment to transform'the latter from'the condition shown' in Fig. 2 to that 'shown in'Fig.` 4, a unitary structure is thus detached; such struc-v ture including the garment'sections II andY I2, the band vcomponent IS therebetween, andthe strip of material 43 of the band-like compo. nent I5. f'

In the modification'. of the invention shown in Fig. 6, the band-like component I5'nl is characterized by the fact that the lining AI'IA has spaced pairs of socket-'typ'e snap fasteners I9 and 2i), mounted on theV inner face thereof; The fasteners I9 being somewhat above' the fasteners 20, with the latter fasteners beingwell down toward the lower limit of the lining.

Included in the component there is a leather ing of the socket-type'fastener elements I9 and 20. When the post-type snap fastener elements 28 and 29 are engaged with 'the socket-type fastener elements I9 and 20, the garm'ent'se'ctions I0 and I I are releasably connected together.

In other respects the formy of the"in'veritionl shown in Fig. 6 is similar to thatshown in'Figs.v 1 to 5 and like reference numerals identify like"V parts in eachof the several views.`

Referring to Vthe modification illustrated in'A Fig. 7, the parts to which are applied reference characters with primes 'added correspond.' r'e-"" The band 2I and the lining 5 -spect'ively, to the parts to which have been applied the same reference characters in Fig. 6 without primes.

Here the fabric band 26' is not as wide 'as the band 26, but along its bottom said band '26 is outturned as shown, so that by application of a suitable line of stitching, such as that indicated at 26, this outturned marginal portion of the band 26 may be attached to the upper end of a memberv 3|).

vSaid member 30, of band form like the leather band 2|, is a fur piece with its hide outermost and its fur 3| at the inside. This fur piece can be one, for instance, of a fairly long hair type as illustrated, and which, while of high heat insulative capacity, is of trilling cost as compared say to chinchilla or any other luxury fur used in the makeup of the various garment sections.

With the fur 3| at the inside of the garment, the same outer decorative band eifects are obtainable as indicated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, and, at the same time, the garment is just as cold resisting, across the one or more band components like the component I5 present, as though at their locations the highly expensive fur were used.

In order to make the garment perfectly draft resistant along the lines of joinder of the component l5' with the garment sections and I2', and at the same time to obtain a linely custom finished bottom for the garment as aforesaid whatever be the length of the garment as at a particular time selected a special construction is also desirably included. The fur piece 30 is de-haired along a narrower upper marginal pcrtion 33 thereof and along a vwider lower marginal portion 36 thereof; and in order to insure easy attainment and natural-maintenance of the marginal portion 33 as illustrated, the inside of the hide 3 I may be longitudinally nicked or scored as at 35 along the length of the part 30. The stitching 26", it will be noted, goes through the marginal portion 33 of the hide 3|. To impart a natural set to the portion 34 as illustrated, the hide 3| thereof may be longitudinally nicked or scored at opposite sides as indicated at 33 and 31.

The further modification of the invention shown in Fig. 8 is characterized by the fact that the band-like component |5 is formed of separate sections l5a and |51. The top edge of the -section l5ad is secured to the bottom edge of the section l by parallel lines of stitches 50 and the bottom edge of the section lb is secured to the top edge of the section by parallel lines of stitches 5|.

Attached to the inside faces of the adjacent edges of the sections I5a and lh of the band-like component |5" there are the tapes 52 of a separable-type slide fastener 53. The tapes 52 are secured to the band sections |32* and I5b by lines of stitches 54 and in such position that when the slide fastener 53 is in engagement the adjacent edges of the sections I5a and |5b will be abutting one another hiding the slide fasteners from view from the outer side of the garment.

In other respects, the form of the invention shown in Fig. 8 is also similar to that shown in Figs. 1 to 5 and like reference numerals are used to identify like parts.

The modification of the invention shown in Figs. 9 to 1l is characterized by still a diierent form of band-like components |5"" and |6 which permanently secure together the garment sections l0, and l2. Each of the band-like 6 components is alike and details of the component |5" are shown in detail in Fig. 11.

As shown in Fig. 11, the band-like component |5 is comprised of superimposed layers |5 and |5d. The top and bottom edges of the inner layer |5c are secured to the adjacent edges of the garment sections |'0 and on the inner faces thereof, by parallel lines of stitches 60 and 6|, respectively. The layers I5c and i5d are secured together midway of ltheir widths by a line of stitches 62 and the free top and bottom edges of the outer layer I5d overlap the outer faces of the top and bottom edges of the sections I0 and The outer layer I5d of the band-like component |5"" is characterized by the fact that the ends thereof continue into free extensions I5e which extend from opposite sides of the o-pen front of the garment, as shown particularly in Fig. 9. The extensions I5e when tied into bows, as shown in Fig. 10, serve to retain the garment in its closed position about-the waist. The ends of the inner layers l5c stop at the open edges of the garment. The band-like component |\6 is characterized by the fact that the ends of the layers |5 and Id are flush at the open edges of the garment.

In other respects the form of the invention shown in Figs. 9 to 1'1 Iare also similar to that shown in Figs. 1 to 5 and like reference numerals identify like parts in all the views.

While the novel features of the present invention are shown particularly in connection with a fur coat, such illustration is to be in no way limiting upc-n the scope of the present invention as those features are equally well adapted for use in a coat or similar garment constructed entirely of cloth of either natural or synthetic fabrics, leather or any other similar materials. Also, the band-like components may be made of cloth, leather, synthetic resin or plastic or other similar material.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiments vof my invention, it is to be understood that I -do not limit myself to the precise constructions herein disclosed and the right is reserved to all changes and modifications coming within the scope `of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus ydescribed my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

1. An outer garment of variable length, comprising super-imposed sections having adjacent edges for attachment to one another, means for detachably connecting the adjacent edges of said sections together, said connecting means comprising fastening elements arranged along vertically spaced girthwisely extending lines on the inner face of the upper of said sections 'and adjacent its bottom edge, a decorative girthwisely extended band component of contrasting appearance to the outer faces of said sections secured along its lower edge to the inner face of the top edge of the lower of said sections, and complementary fastening elements arranged along a girthwisely extended line on the outer face of said band component adjacent the free top edge thereof for selective engagement with said first fastening elements for adjusting the length of said sections with different widths of said band component visible between said adjacent edges.

2. An outer garment of variable length, comprising super-imposed sections having adjacent edges for attachment to one another, means for detachably connecting the adjacent edges of said sectionsl together, said, connectingmeans .comprising an annulargdevice having fastening elements arranged ,along vertically spaced girthwisely extending ,linesV on the inner face'of the upper of said sections and adjacent Yits bottom edge, la decorativeA girthwisely extended band component of contrasting appearance to the outer faces of vsaid sections secured along its 'lower edge to the inner face of the top edge of the, lower of said sections, and complementary fastening elements arranged along a girthwisely extended line on the outer face of saidband component adjacent the free top edge thereof for selective engagement with said first fastening elements for adjusting the length of said sections with different widths of said band component visible between said adjacent edges, said first fastening elements comprising buttonholes, said complementary fastening elements comprising buttons.

v.3. -An outer garment of variable length, comprising super-imposed sections having adjacent edges for attachment to one another, means for detachably connecting the adjacent edges of said sections together, said connecting means comprising a girthwisely extended strip of material secured along its top and bottom edges to the inner face of said upper section, buttonholes in said strip of material -arranged along vertically spaced girthwisely extending lines, a decorative girthwisely extended band component of contrasting appearance' to the,out-erfa-cesofsad;sec; ti-onssecuredl `alongits lower edge to the inner face of the top edge of the lower of,saidsections,`

The following references are of record,in.the ille' of this patent: 1

UNITED'STATES PATENTS A. f Date Numberk Y Name 1,065,027 Budweiser June 17, 1,913 1,570,917 Orent i Jan. 26,1926 1,748,890 Martin Feb. 25, 1930 1,958,045 Hirsch May 8, V1934 2,207,007 Hildebrand July 9, 1940 2,274,382 Richman Feb. 24,y 1942 2,290,638 Englander July 21, 1942 2,405,368 Oresman Aug. 6, 1946 2,492,396 Perlitch Dec. 27, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 25,549 Great Britain of 1911 

